It is well-known to provide toilet paper holders for dispensing toilet paper proximate a toilet bowl. Known toilet paper holders typically include a toilet paper roll support rod disposed external to a building wall proximate the toilet bowl. Unfortunately, existing toilet paper dispensers are exposed to the external environment which, because the toilet paper dispenser is near the toilet bowl, can result in the toilet paper roll being exposed to contaminates from the toilet bowl, especially during flushing. Such contamination is unsanitary and undesirable.
Some known toilet paper dispensers enclose a portion of the toilet paper roll within a housing, but leave a portion of the toilet paper roll exposed to the external environment so that the user can access the toilet paper roll. Unfortunately, such areas of user access can also be areas for potential contamination from the toilet bowl. Additionally, most existing toilet paper holders do not provide an apparatus and/or method for sanitizing or disinfesting a toilet paper roll, which can provide an additional precautionary measure for toilet paper rolls that may have already been unknowingly contaminated. Use of contaminated toilet paper is certainly undesirable, unsanitary, and may expose users to potential negative health risks.
Some toilet paper dispensers are stand-alone devices, while other toilet paper dispensers are mounted to the wall. Such wall-mounted toilet paper dispensers are often complicated and complex to install, requiring specialized installation skills and tools. Further, existing wall-mounted toilet paper dispensers are mounted to the outer surface of the wall such that they are disposed outside of the wall and occupy space near the wall that could be reserved for other bathroom fixtures. Toilet paper dispensers can also be generally unattractive and often do not aesthetically match a bathroom decor.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.